The VenueCafe Camino was a really nice venue! However due to the name, I was led to believe it was a cafe, and so my act was kind of close up material. This was not the case, as the venue we had was attached onto the cafe and was pretty huge! I made sure all of my audiences got as close as they could, and if they wanted to sit on the floor (as this was a kids show) this was encouraged so they could see and get involved easier.

The Team and StaffFran the manager at Cafe Camino was fantastic. An absolute angel! She helped me set up and clean up after each show when she could (I was quite messy!) and also supported my other shows when she could too. The rest of the acts I met when there were also lovely. I got on quite well with the act after me (The Singing Magician) and we worked in tandem so I could get out quick and make sure she had enough time to get in too. The staff at the cafe where all fabulous, and were also really helpful whenever I asked.

Performance areaAs stated, the performance space was rather large which was something I was not expecting. However I used this to my advantage, used a large table to put everything on and also I was able to get very close to the audience to help create a good atmosphere with them.

Tech Set UpI decided against using any tech set up for this show, although there was a rather large light available if I wanted it and I think there was also a microphone.

How shows went regarding audienceAudiences generally went very well! My first show I think I had an audience of three, but this was good for me as it allowed me to have a run in the venue of my show. Fran also watched the show as well as Dommy B who gave good feedback. My other shows however all did very well. I never packed the venue out, but I always got a great number.

How the show went itselfAh, the show! My show went as well as it could I think considering I had a couple of problems, mainly one of my props malfunctioning on my second day, and also losing some of my props to theft on the fifth day I believe. This meant that my carefully scripted act had to be adapted to fit around these problems, which wasn't ideal, but you can't just not do the show! I think however despite these problems, the show went incredibly well and my audiences always loved it

The BucketThe bucket as above was very hard to judge. This was my first children's show at the Fringe Festival, and so I wasn't really sure how to pitch my hat line to get money. I think on average I pulled in around £20 - £30 a show which was not bad. I never had to pull a show and I always got money at the end, and for that I'm incredibly grateful to my audiences.

All in all, I think Cafe Camino was a great venue, however if I was to go there next year I would prefer to go there with more of a stage show rather than parlour/close up due to the size of the venue. As I'm thinking of doing three shows again, this is a distinct possibility, and if I do I look forward to seeing everyone again